One-year anniversary of the five-commissioner form of
government approaching in Carroll County
Kevin Dayhoff
November 9, 2011
With the one-year anniversary of the five-commissioner form
of government approaching in Carroll County, a number of readers have asked a
few questions.
I do not know if I am going to write a “one-year review” or
not. However, to answer a few questions from Facebook friends…
I episodically cover Carroll County government. However, my
coverage is not consistent because I have colleagues who do and I’m
too-frequently conflicted-out.
I did write some about the change to the five-commissioner
form of government. As for your question, “Why did they go for district
commissioners?” see:
The debate and discussion over the five-commissioner form of
government began as a public issue around 1998. Although it could be argued
that the discussion really began many years earlier than that… The first time I
ever heard of the idea was in the mid-to-late 1960s…
From 1998 to 2010, the debate was all-consuming for
all-things government, and yet for most of those years I was an elected
official and I avoided the debate like the plague. Only about 20 percent of my
constituency really had any opinion, the other 80 percent either was oblivious
to the discussions or really-really did not give a rat’s behind…
In response to your question, “How is it working?” I guess
that depends on who you ask. Ask five Carroll countians that question and you
will get seven and a half answers. My concern was that the best interests of
the county would be divided into five balkanized states. That has, in my view,
not happened. Perhaps it has not happened because of the mixture the voters put
into office.
Nevertheless, I still would prefer that the five candidates
come from each of the five districts but the entire county still vote for all five
candidates for office. As it is at present, each candidate is over only voted upon
by a particular district.
In the end, I would still prefer charter government. In the
interest of full disclosure, I was on the committee for charter government in
the late 1980s. That effort failed…
You asked, “Any districts short on candidates? Any
overloaded with candidates?” See: Carroll County Board of Elections list of
candidates for Carroll County Commissioner: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/08/carroll-county-board-of-elections-list.html
There was certainly no shortage of candidates and if
anything, there were an awful lot of candidates. Whether or not any of the
districts were overloaded, I’m of the mind that local government can never have
too many folks running for office. It’s getting well-qualified folks to run
that is the greater question.
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And:
Labels: Carroll
Co 5 Commissioner Dist plan, Carroll
Co Delegation to Annapolis, MD
Gen Assembly 2008 425,
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Carroll County Board of Elections list of candidates for
Carroll County Commissioner: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/08/carroll-county-board-of-elections-list.html
Carroll County Maryland, commissioners, government,
governance, elections, charter, Kevin Dayhoff
Labels: Maryland Municipal League see MML, MML, MML Municipal League
http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/MML%20Municipal%20League:
For more information on the 2011 Fall Maryland Municipal
League’s Fall Legislative Conference at the Cambridge Maryland Hyatt Regency
Chesapeake Bay, including a “Complete 2011 Fall Conference Information (.pdf)”
packet, visit the MML website at www.mdmunicipal.org.
League’s Fall Legislative Conference at the Cambridge Maryland Hyatt Regency
Chesapeake Bay, including a “Complete 2011 Fall Conference Information (.pdf)”
packet, visit the MML website at www.mdmunicipal.org.
*****
Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
*****
Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
